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Ten years ago this summer, I took a massive career risk when I left teaching to become a full-time author.

I only had one book out at the time, with absolutely no idea if my future books would sell, or how many books I would have published. But I refused to let fear prevent me from creating my dream bigger life. Failure was not an option.

And now today, because of you, we have all of this.

THANK YOU. Thank you for making this life possible. None of this would be possible without my readers, the most dedicated, passionate, caring readers in the world. You are why I write. You are why I keep hope alive every single day.

You know how some things just annoy you so much you can’t even with them? But other people might not be bothered at all, or even notice?

Typos are like that for me.

I mean, I cannot with this. “Your being video taped.” Seriously? And on printed signage?

Every time I see a glaring typo on a sign, I document the offense for my personal photo collection. Why? Because I’m a weirdo like that. But also because these are too good not to share. And rage/laugh/shake our heads over. Thus this overdue blog post!

Let’s revisit the time my favorite vegetarian restaurant had a new awning made, shall we?

So like…not only does this brand spanking new awning have a huge typo, but given its two different connotations of “vegetarians” you could say it has two. How can Vegetarians Paradise not know it is a paradise for more than one vegetarian? Hello, no wonder the singular possessive side got graffitied.

Creating a character who rages against typos was inevitable. That’s why in Now and Forever, Sterling is a typo annihilator. She whips out her black Sharpie and corrects typos on signs like an intellectual ninja. Fun fact: Sterling is Marisa’s best friend in Waiting for You. And Marisa has a cameo in Now and Forever. I’ve been bringing back previous characters from my backlist in my recent books, and will continue to have fun with this moving forward. My ultimate goal is to have all of my characters linked to one another by one degree as a statement on how we are all connected. Let’s see how it goes…

But yeah. I just can’t with this random capitalization.

Or this.

Because if you are on line at CVS browsing the magazines on the rack at checkout, you are only required to put one of the magazines back? You’re allowed to keep the others? I am also fascinated by the new vocabulary word “Thankyou.” I can understand its origin. The space between those words was such a hassle.

Down the block at another drug store chain, I spotted this beauty.

So. Many. Things.

I will leave you with this gem…and best wishes for happy typo hunting!

Here in New York, the first day of school was yesterday. Which, I mean, what? We’re actually into September already? Really? WHAT IS HAPPENING. But yes, these are the last days of summer to cherish, and yes, it is still summer. It is still summer until September 22 when it will officially become fall and don’t let anyone tell you any different. So keep working your graphic tanks and snapping those flip-flops with purpose as you walk down the street enjoying the summer breeze. Speaking of graphics…

1. You know you are dorktastic to the max when your idea of a fun night out is rocking your matching Mister Rogers and Bob Ross tees.

We found these tees earlier in the summer and I freaked. out. My plan was to wear them to some upscale restaurant like the total dorks we are. So we went on a Citi Bike ride down the East River, chilled at Ost Cafe on the Lower East Side, rode to South Street Seaport and had dinner at Barbalu, a restaurant we discovered on a Citi Bike ride last summer that is so fantastic it will appear in Forever in Love, the final book of my City Love trilogy. But of course it was Labor Day weekend and no one was even around to notice the ironic fabulousness of our tees. What can I say? We were on fire.

2. In other Forever in Love news, I recently finished reviewing the copyedits. Which I was sort of avoiding because after copyedits there is only one step left in the publication process: looking over the first draft, a hard copy of the book’s layout. It has been really hard to say goodbye to my girls. After three books and so much more to write about, this is a difficult transition. Fortunately I am super excited about the new book I am working on!

Are you into audio books? You can listen to an audio excerpt of Lost in Lovehere.

3. Here’s a throwback to 9.09.09.

What was I doing seven years ago today? Oh, I don’t know. Just chilling in this world famous infinity pool at Katikies in Santorini! Santorini is the most beautiful place in the world. The resort I stayed at was positioned on a steep slope on the rim of the caldera. So in this photo you are looking at me blissfully floating at the top of a volcano. How incredible is that?

4. Shout-out to my girl Andrea on Twitter for designing this:

If you’ve read any of my books, you might have noticed that I love including music. It makes me so happy when readers tell me they are into The Cure or R.E.M. or Paul Simon or Fleetwood Mac because they were inspired by my books. But I don’t just include old-school sound. John Mayer is a big part of Waiting for You, a story of a girl dealing with anxiety and depression, and that makes this graphic especially sweet.

5. I don’t know how long it will take for me to not burst into tears when I hear “Empire State of Mind” around September 11, but apparently it’s longer than 15 years. This Sunday, September 11 will mark the 15th anniversary of the Twin Towers attacks. I cannot believe that was 15 years ago. I remember lots of details about that day, both big and small, mostly because I have relived September 11, 2001 so many times: how perfectly blue the sky was, what I was wearing, that excitement I always felt as a teacher at the beginning of a new school year. And of course the fact that, out of all the possible days I could have gone, I had plans that day to go to the Twin Towers with my friend Stephen. We were going to meet up after school and go to the observation deck. But we didn’t because the Twin Towers were…gone. You can read archives of my past September 11 posts linked from here.

Our plan for that day was a sign. Every day since for the past 15 years, I have been grateful to simply be alive.

This September 11 I will be broadcasting my walk down to Ground Zero on Periscope. You can find me there @SusaneColasanti if you want to see the Tribute in Light. Every year when I see the Tribute in Light, I see it as a signal reminding me to be grateful for everything I have. And every day when I see One World Trade, now standing proud and tall near the footprints of where the Twin Towers once stood, I see it as a sign of better things to come.

I cannot be more excited that March begins on Sunday. February is always brutal. February is my least favorite month, filled with sharp winds and astonishing below-zero temperatures and a profound absence of leaves. But this year has been particularly harsh. The good news is that we survived! We’re leaving February in the dust. Spring starts in 21 days. Life is good. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, February.

So yeah. Feeling pretty Zen about things today. Which is why I’ve whipped up a top five (not enough for a top ten, but going with the flow is part of being Zen) to fit the mood.

1. We are getting so much closer (see what I did there?) to the release of City Love! The first book of the trilogy comes out on April 21. Advance copies are on the move. Some book bloggers and giveaway winners have emailed me pretty pics of their ARCs…including the shiny star confetti that came with!

That confetti makes me so happy. I mean, confetti in general makes me happy. But pulling a shiny new book out of an envelope with shiny star confetti? Takes the experience up a notch. And being gifted with confetti is way better than Ship Your Enemies Glitter. I hope everyone who’s reading City Love early is enjoying the book!

2. More ARC giveaways are coming up, but I wanted to share something special from the giveaway I did for Random Acts of Kindness Week. Super friendly neighbor and dedicated reader Catherine S. decided to spread the city love on campus by giving out bright, colorful flowers with warm fuzzies attached. The photos she posted on Twitter made me so happy I wanted to share this one with you:

One of the City Love giveaways my publisher is doing in March is all about showing your city love with some artistic flair. I’m really looking forward to seeing your entries! In the meantime, please show your #citylove and spread the #citylove on social. Beautiful scenes from your city, inspiring images, reasons why you love where you live or can’t wait to live in your dream city, new things you notice when you look up…all are welcome. Use the #citylove hashtag so I can retweet you on my Twitter and repost you on my Instagram.

3. Want to see the best Zumba choreo out there? And me busting a move all over it? Here’s a clip from my Zumba class with master instructor Kara Doyle. Kara is pretty in pink up front. I’m in the Keep Calm tank all up in the camera’s face. If you want to see me looking even more dorktastic, here I am shaking it in this hilarious Vine. Because, really, what’s the point of the Internet if not to embarrass myself in front of the entire world?

The Now from Waiting for You returns in City Love. Actually, you’ll see several familiar things from my previous books in City Love…including characters. Oh yeah. We’re taking this literary party up a notch.

Wishing you a peaceful, reflective weekend filled with moments of Zen ❤

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One of the questions readers most frequently ask me is: Where do you get your ideas? Which is probably the easiest question to answer. I get my ideas from everywhere. Ideas appear in my imagination. They come to me in dreams. And you can totally find experiences from real life in my books – anything from random details to major plotlines.

Here’s an example of how a detail from my past inspired an idea for one of my books:

This was a wall of the studio apartment I had junior and senior years at Penn. I thought it would be cool to write all over my wall with a charcoal stick. The best part is probably the photo of Lloyd Dobler and Diane Court from Say Anything. You can see it in the heart at the upper right. This was back before you could find photos online and print them out. I was determined to score some sweet photos from Say Anything. So I called the production company and told them I wanted to include some photos in a project I was doing. They totally sent me some! On a more disturbing note, that weird thing at the bottom was a foam board I decorated with a sketch of Paul Klee’s Twittering Machine, concert ticket stubs, and fortune cookie fortunes. Like the wall says, I still don’t know what it was supposed to be.

So how did writing on my wall inspire a story idea? Marisa writes on her wall in Waiting for You. She does a lot more with her wall, but this is where the idea came from. Using inspiration from your actual experiences can enhance your writing. It helps your writing feel realistic and relatable. For those of you who are stuck on a story you’re writing, why not brainstorm random details from your life that have left an impact on you? One of them just might be the key to unlock the next stage of your story. Write on!